PNGBLOGS

ABC NEWS Australia has had a shameful performance when it comes to sending aid overseas, according to World Vision head Tim Costello. Speaking at a forum on global aid and health, Mr Costello lashed out at the Government's and Opposition's position on aid to some of Australia's closest neighbours. He says some of the world's poorest people are in countries like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Solomon Islands. Mr Costello described a health clinic in Papua New Guinea which is in sight of Australian territory, where pregnant women have to bring their own buckets of water to give birth because of poor sanitation. "You can literally see Australian coastal territory islands from that health clinic's shore, which says to you, what's the moral significance of this piece of sea?" he said. Mr Costello blames the Millennium Development Goals for Australia's poor performance. He says the goals have been a great achievement, but have allowed for co

ABC NEWS Australia has had a shameful performance when it comes to sending aid overseas, according to World Vision head Tim Costello. Speaking at a forum on global aid and health, Mr Costello lashed out at the Government's and Opposition's position on aid to some of Australia's closest neighbours. He says some of the world's poorest people are in countries like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Solomon Islands. Mr Costello described a health clinic in Papua New Guinea which is in sight of Australian territory, where pregnant women have to bring their own buckets of water to give birth because of poor sanitation. "You can literally see Australian coastal territory islands from that health clinic's shore, which says to you, what's the moral significance of this piece of sea?" he said. Mr Costello blames the Millennium Development Goals for Australia's poor performance. He says the goals have been a great achievement, but have allowed fo

Alisa Tang Sanitation, water and lighting projects among those being provided in a challenging rural environment When Papua New Guinea's National Aids Council asked ATprojects to develop products for people living with HIV/Aids, Steve Layton turned to a woman in the final stages of the disease. She was ill and was no longer able to control her bowels, so she carried a bucket to their meeting at the project office outside the city of Goroka. "She sat there on a metal bucket because she was dripping constantly. I asked her, 'What's your biggest problem?' She said she couldn't walk to the toilet." She then stood up, turned around and held up her dress, showing him two holes where the bucket handle had bored into her thighs. The team went to its workshop and devised a bucket toilet, portable and easy to clean, with a standard toilet seat. ATprojects paid attention to their advisers' deteriorating health, as well as discrimination at home and in their commu

Alisa Tang Sanitation, water and lighting projects among those being provided in a challenging rural environment When Papua New Guinea's National Aids Council asked ATprojects to develop products for people living with HIV/Aids, Steve Layton turned to a woman in the final stages of the disease. She was ill and was no longer able to control her bowels, so she carried a bucket to their meeting at the project office outside the city of Goroka. "She sat there on a metal bucket because she was dripping constantly. I asked her, 'What's your biggest problem?' She said she couldn't walk to the toilet." She then stood up, turned around and held up her dress, showing him two holes where the bucket handle had bored into her thighs. The team went to its workshop and devised a bucket toilet, portable and easy to clean, with a standard toilet seat. ATprojects paid attention to their advisers' deteriorating health, as well as discrimination at home and in thei

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Papua New Guinea's suspended prime minister, Michael Somare, has called PNG's national broadcaster to dispel media reports he is seriously ill. Sir Michael is in Singapore to undergo minor surgery and celebrate his 75th birthday, and expects to resume the prime ministership on April 19. On Tuesday The Australian newspaper reported Sir Michael was seriously ill, with his family flying to Singapore to be at his side as he underwent surgery for what was understood to be a longstanding heart condition. But Sir Michael called the National Broadcasting Corporation just before 1500 AEST to say he was undergoing only minor surgery. "He said that he's there for his normal medical check-up," National Broadcasting Corporation journalist Gregory Moses told AAP. "He goes there for the check-up every quarter. "His family, his grandchildren are also there because of his 75th birthday, which is today ... he said it was nothing serious." Mr Mo

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Papua New Guinea's suspended prime minister, Michael Somare, has called PNG's national broadcaster to dispel media reports he is seriously ill. Sir Michael is in Singapore to undergo minor surgery and celebrate his 75th birthday, and expects to resume the prime ministership on April 19. On Tuesday The Australian newspaper reported Sir Michael was seriously ill, with his family flying to Singapore to be at his side as he underwent surgery for what was understood to be a longstanding heart condition. But Sir Michael called the National Broadcasting Corporation just before 1500 AEST to say he was undergoing only minor surgery. "He said that he's there for his normal medical check-up," National Broadcasting Corporation journalist Gregory Moses told AAP. "He goes there for the check-up every quarter. "His family, his grandchildren are also there because of his 75th birthday, which is today ... he said it was nothing serious." M

OP.ED Papua New Guineans live with nature. The natural environment around them have influenced and shaped their characters and identities over time. And the environment is very much part of their lives today. In the old days and in many parts of PNG today, people do not give up their land freely. If you want to take their land, you must kill them first and then take their land. That has been the unwritten law in PNG for generations. Today, only three per cent of the total land mass in PNG is held by the State and the rest is in the hands of the customary owners, thus indicating the importance of land to Papua New Guineans. This customary land tenure system is recognised by the National Constitution and the Lands Act (1996) provides specific guidelines on how the State and customary land are managed and used. The lease leaseback scheme involving customary land is provided for in the Act. At the Holiday Inn in Port Moresby, aggrieved landowners from Central, West New Britain and Gulf pro

OP.ED Papua New Guineans live with nature. The natural environment around them have influenced and shaped their characters and identities over time. And the environment is very much part of their lives today. In the old days and in many parts of PNG today, people do not give up their land freely. If you want to take their land, you must kill them first and then take their land. That has been the unwritten law in PNG for generations. Today, only three per cent of the total land mass in PNG is held by the State and the rest is in the hands of the customary owners, thus indicating the importance of land to Papua New Guineans. This customary land tenure system is recognised by the National Constitution and the Lands Act (1996) provides specific guidelines on how the State and customary land are managed and used. The lease leaseback scheme involving customary land is provided for in the Act. At the Holiday Inn in Port Moresby, aggrieved landowners from Central, West New Britain and Gulf

JEFFERY LEVONGO The vast majority of young, people in this country are too busy trying to settle themselves and their families i.e. buying a house or car that they are not too keen on getting involved in the social and political issues. We are all hungry. We all want to make millions etc. This is because we are a product of our demographic development. Our parents were the first/second generation after contact with the white man. White man brought the western culture where wealth & status is measured in money. This mentality has taken over our culture. Mokas and bride price had a cultural significance of building relationships and was such that every man had a chance to do this – pigs can be raised by anyone with some land. Now everything is measured in money and leadership is bought by money, hence the lavish mokas and bride prices by people with access to large amounts of cash. So for the third generation (born around the late 70’s early 80’s) after contact – we are focused on ma

JEFFERY LEVONGO The vast majority of young, people in this country are too busy trying to settle themselves and their families i.e. buying a house or car that they are not too keen on getting involved in the social and political issues. We are all hungry. We all want to make millions etc. This is because we are a product of our demographic development. Our parents were the first/second generation after contact with the white man. White man brought the western culture where wealth & status is measured in money. This mentality has taken over our culture. Mokas and bride price had a cultural significance of building relationships and was such that every man had a chance to do this – pigs can be raised by anyone with some land. Now everything is measured in money and leadership is bought by money, hence the lavish mokas and bride prices by people with access to large amounts of cash. So for the third generation (born around the late 70’s early 80’s) after contact – we are focused o

IRIN The proliferation and use of illegal guns in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is threatening security ahead of parliamentary elections slated for June 2012, and causing misery and trauma to gun crime victims, says the government. The police, the PNG Electoral Commission and the Inter Department Election Committee (IDEC), a government body overseeing election preparations, are aware of the risks in the run-up to and during the elections. “We are very much aware of the danger that the guns pose on the elections and are making the necessary preparations. We should come up with a budget to ensure that the rights of the people are protected during the elections,” IDEC Chairman Manasupe Zurenuoc told IRIN. Police say they need K120 million (US$40 million) to carry out a public awareness campaign on the law and other operations to minimize security risks during the elections. The central Highlands area, known for tribal conflicts, is particularly at risk: “The build-up of guns in the Highlands is

IRIN The proliferation and use of illegal guns in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is threatening security ahead of parliamentary elections slated for June 2012, and causing misery and trauma to gun crime victims, says the government. The police, the PNG Electoral Commission and the Inter Department Election Committee (IDEC), a government body overseeing election preparations, are aware of the risks in the run-up to and during the elections. “We are very much aware of the danger that the guns pose on the elections and are making the necessary preparations. We should come up with a budget to ensure that the rights of the people are protected during the elections,” IDEC Chairman Manasupe Zurenuoc told IRIN. Police say they need K120 million (US$40 million) to carry out a public awareness campaign on the law and other operations to minimize security risks during the elections. The central Highlands area, known for tribal conflicts, is particularly at risk: “The build-up of guns in the Highlan

OP/ED Whatever has happened to the bi-partisan committee on Asian-owned and operated businesses? It was tasked to produce a report within 12 months. Two years later, it appears to have ceased to exist. It has failed to perform the task for which it was set up. While Parliament or its committee might wish away the problems, it festers still and simmers as the influx of foreign workers for the LNG pro­ject increases and Papua New Guineans watch from the sidelines. Like many things that have been enthusiastically introduced, the will to sustain the enterprise is always lacking. In this particular case, parliament will be found to have erred grievously if the ugly head of anti-foreigner sentiments were to rear again. The next time there might be no stopping it. The parliamentary committee was established on May 21, 2009, to investigate and report on the root causes of a series of riots directed at Asian-owned and operated businesses in several towns in PNG. A protest march in Port Moresby

OP/ED Whatever has happened to the bi-partisan committee on Asian-owned and operated businesses? It was tasked to produce a report within 12 months. Two years later, it appears to have ceased to exist. It has failed to perform the task for which it was set up. While Parliament or its committee might wish away the problems, it festers still and simmers as the influx of foreign workers for the LNG pro­ject increases and Papua New Guineans watch from the sidelines. Like many things that have been enthusiastically introduced, the will to sustain the enterprise is always lacking. In this particular case, parliament will be found to have erred grievously if the ugly head of anti-foreigner sentiments were to rear again. The next time there might be no stopping it. The parliamentary committee was established on May 21, 2009, to investigate and report on the root causes of a series of riots directed at Asian-owned and operated businesses in several towns in PNG. A protest march in Port Mor

Development Policy Centre Papua New Guinea has no shortage of plans, visions, strategies and policy papers. Some are good, some are bad. All suffer from poor implementation. Despite the plans, and despite PNG’s mineral booms, the sad truth is that Papua New Guinean incomes, adjusted for inflation, have barely risen since independence. We are told that government’s new plan is going to change all that – incomes will increase by one third from K3430 this year to K4638 by 2015. (Actually, it’s not clear how much of the increase will be due to the implementation of the plan, and how much will be due to the LNG project, but that’s a question that could be asked at the 2011 budget lock-up on Tuesday 16 November.) The 2011-15 Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) has not yet been released, but reports in the media give an indication of what it contains. The government will spend K36 billion over five years on a range of development initiatives that will help create 315,200 extra jobs and susta

Development Policy Centre Papua New Guinea has no shortage of plans, visions, strategies and policy papers. Some are good, some are bad. All suffer from poor implementation. Despite the plans, and despite PNG’s mineral booms, the sad truth is that Papua New Guinean incomes, adjusted for inflation, have barely risen since independence. We are told that government’s new plan is going to change all that – incomes will increase by one third from K3430 this year to K4638 by 2015. (Actually, it’s not clear how much of the increase will be due to the implementation of the plan, and how much will be due to the LNG project, but that’s a question that could be asked at the 2011 budget lock-up on Tuesday 16 November.) The 2011-15 Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) has not yet been released, but reports in the media give an indication of what it contains. The government will spend K36 billion over five years on a range of development initiatives that will help create 315,200 extra jobs and sus

PACIFIC POLICY We are still in the era of Big Man politics in Melanesia, where people generally vote according to tribal, chiefly and personal loyalties, not because of any policy platforms linked to political parties. Roland Rich has summarised a core underlying issue: As in Africa, the elites leading the independence movements re-imagined their lands and islands in accordance with the maps drawn by their colonisers. The debate was not about the return to the pre-national existence of pre- colonialism, but rather the demand to take over the local institutions of colonial governance. The national revolution took place by way of this thought transfer. All at once, disparate peoples became ni-Vanuatu or Solomon Islanders or Papua New Guineans. The problem with this conceptual revolution is that it has been restricted to a small band of urban educated leaders. The majority of the people of these nations think of themselves primarily and perhaps at times exclusively in terms of their vil